Suffolk discoveries rewrite the history of the East Anglian Kingdom 1,400 years ago

The fieldwork and significance of the finds, co-ordinated by the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS), are shared in the new book, Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800, released this week.

The journey started in 2008, when a landowner contacted SCCAS for assistance following finds made on their property. Over the following decade, SCCAS co-ordinated archaeological investigations of the local area that identified the site of an East Anglian royal settlement - with the invaluable expertise of four experienced detectorists recovering and meticulously recording thousands of metal finds of archaeological interest, including precious metal jewellery and coinage.

A team of experts, funded by a project grant from The Leverhulme Trust, reconstructed the layout and history of the settlement, its place in wider landscape, the social connections and trade networks of those who lived there, and details such as the metalworking techniques of the master crafters who worked there.

As a result of all this work, experts have determined that:

• The royal centre at Rendlesham – covering an area of 50 hectares (approximately 70 football pitches) – is the largest and wealthiest settlement of its time known from England
• For 150 years, from AD 580 to 730, Rendlesham was the centre of royal power in this part of the kingdom – the place where the kings stayed, dispensed justice, feasted followers, received envoys, and had coinage minted
• Analysis of metal-detected finds from other places in Suffolk and Norfolk has enabled the identification of similar settlements to Rendlesham – centres from which royal power was exercised over other parts of the kingdom

Professor Christopher Scull, Cardiff University and UCL Institute of Archaeology, who led the research project, said:

“Since its discovery on the eve of the Second World War, the royal burial ground at Sutton Hoo has stood alone as an enigmatic memorial to the East Anglian kings of the seventh century.

“But our ground-breaking research involving Rendlesham has not only identified the places where these kings lived, and from which they ruled, but also how their ancestors fought to establish a kingdom after the collapse of the Roman world.

“These societies were more sophisticated, and more widely connected, than we previously thought. We are able to show how local leaders from what is now south-east Suffolk established a wider rule over what is now Norfolk and Suffolk, and how they ruled their kingdom through royal centres such as Rendlesham. We also believe that the legacy of Roman rule helped shape the geography of the early East Anglian kingdom.”

Following these significant discoveries, the journey continued with SCCAS conducting a separate phase of archaeological fieldwork as part of the Rendlesham Revealed project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, involving local communities to undertake further excavations that have uncovered additional evidence of the royal settlement, including a great hall and possible temple.

Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Communities and Equality, said:

“Suffolk continues to reveal its extraordinary history and international significance. We owe the discovery and understandings of the royal settlement at Rendlesham to the landowner for allowing access, to the four local metal detectorists who were instrumental in discovering the site, to all the professionals and academics involved in realising the importance of what has been found, and to the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service for coordinating.

“With the cooperation of responsible metal detector users, who choose to work with our archaeological service, it shows how all parties can come together and make a powerful contribution to archaeological research and protect our shared heritage.”

Natasha McEnroe, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Society of Antiquaries of London, said:

“The Society of Antiquaries has been a long-term supporter of the research programme co-ordinated by Suffolk County Council at Rendlesham and is delighted to publish this major contribution to early medieval studies.”

Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800 is published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, with grants from the Marc Fitch Fund, The Sutton Hoo Society, University College London, Historic England, and the Scarfe Charitable Trust.

The book was made possible following project funding by The Leverhulme Trust through the Institute of Archaeology, University College London working in partnership with the University of East Anglia, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service.

Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400–800 is available to order from the Pen & Sword Books website.

The metal-detected finds from Rendlesham are held by Colchester and Ipswich Museums and will be on permanent display at Ipswich Museum when it reopens.